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You stare at me. The rest of your murder caws, shattering an afternoon’s silence with pure cacaphony. You do not join them. Your black eyes meet my blue ones. Why do you not join the others in their mayhem? What do you want?
Something passes between us. What, I cannot say.
Perched on the highest naked branch of the Maple upon which your murder roosts, you stare one moment more. Then you take flight, cacawing as your wings beat against the cooling air. The murder follows you, until you are as one with it as you have always been.
Save for the moment we shared.
autumn wind
the emptiness
of twilight
for dVerse Poets’ Haibun Monday: Murmuration (guest pubtended by qbit/Randall)
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Frank J. Tassone 
Crows have an uncanny way of singling you out – I could feel the discomfort…the emptiness of twilight. Something inexplicable.
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Very profound, very creepy; the Native American here on the NW coast revere the crow. I was surprised the first time I ever heard one talk–turns out they’re in the same family as Minabirds, and they do talk.
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Thanks, Glenn! 🙂 I thought the raven was the sacred bird of the NW. Wild, about the crows talking!
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I avoid crows as they look menacing enough. Love the short encounter, then the emptiness of twilight. Thanks for joining in Frank!
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I like the description of twilight as composed of emptiness. And the crows did leave.
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Very cool! Great use of a “murder of crows,” creates such a powerful mood. They way as a whole they are somethings transformed, fearsome. But apart in particular this one extraordinary crow. The empty sky at the end of the Haiku is perfect.
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Thanks, Q! I still remember how eerie it was being so close to that murder of crows in the bare tree–and the lead crow that kept staring me down!
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An interesting post Frank. That crow was listening to the caw of nature and had no choice but to return to the group. I like the thought of the emptiness of twilight!
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Thanks, Dwight! 😀
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I like the one crow cawing away. He set his sites on you, plain and simple. It is something when a crow picks you out. We have a couple around the house that wait for me to start my daily walk. Or maybe it is just the bread I thow out on the empty road. Great use of the word murder. I like the origin of the “murder of crows”. From judging one of their own flock to the Germanic origins of crows being judges of people.
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Thanks, Toni! 😀
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Woah, that was intense! Those encounters with another intelligence…very atmospheric.
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Thanks, Sarah! 😀
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Crows are inquisitive birds and I love that you address that staring corvus, the one that stays apart from the murder, not joining the others ‘in their mayhem’. You’ve captured the eeriness of crows, Frank, which I personally love, and the way they perch on the highest branches, ‘shattering an afternoon’s silence with pure cacophony’ – although here it always seems to be in the morning. A fabulous ending, when the crow rejoins the murder.
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Thank you, Kim, for your reflective feedback! 😀
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There is something so haunting in between your lines. Amazing!
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When we were driving home from our short trip this weekend, we stopped at a gas station.I was standing outside with my dog on his leash so he could stretch his legs. A huge crow landed near us, and began cawing loudly, walking around us, but staying just out of reach. It was such an odd encounter. Very cool Frank!
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Chills (K)
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That moment of connection… a moment before it’s one among many
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Eerie truth – I’ve experienced that before. They are a strange mix of angels and demons and I applaud how well you put that tone into this.
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Thank you, Jilly! 😀
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Sharing such a moment with a wild bird is a special thing. I remember a documentary on crows and how they are phenomenal at human face recognition.
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Interesting! Thanks for reading; I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😀
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I love “the emptiness of twilight”. Beautiful write and photo!
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